Outdoor grill



Dec. 27, 1955 P. PAOLELLA 2,728,334

OUTDOOR GRILL Filed Nov. 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR W2 Wm BY @uwkwfium ATTURN E Y5 Dec. 27, 1955 P. PAOLELLA 2,728,334

' OUTDOOR GRILL Filed Nov. 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I mazaw INVENTOR BY W B um- ATTOR NE Y6 United States Patent OUTDOOR GRILL Philip Paolella, Hamden, C0nn., assignor to Plasticrete Corporation, Hamden, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 18, 1952, Serial No. 321,106

2 Claims. (Cl. 126-25) when it is desired to move the fireplace to another 10- cation. As described in the patent, the structure is that of a short rectangular chimney or flue that is open at the top and closed at the bottom except for a draft opening in the lower front portion. A screen or grate element may be set within the body of the fireplace, and

this is particularly useful when the structure is used as an outdoor grill or as a trash burner.

An object of the present invention is to increase the scope of a structure of the general type disclosed in the patent, with regard to its use as an outdoor grill, by providing new features that can be used very advantageously in cooking articles of food such as steaks, chops, hot dogs, hamburgers and the like, while they are supported on a grilling surface placed above a bed of fuel such as charcoal.

Another object is to make it possible to employ the new fireplace structure in a satisfactory manner as a trash burner.

A further purpose which the invention has in view is to provide a fireplace structure having improved provisions for supporting in a location conveniently near the grilling surface, articles of food, cooked or uncooked, these provisions being in the nature of a supporting shelf for the food articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide in an article of the class mentioned a food-supporting shelf having ample capacity and very conveniently usable, which shelf can be very easily assembled with and removed from the remainder of the masonry structure.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor fireplace embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the structure when the food-supporting shelf has been removed;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the food-supporting shelf or service counter;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail of the steel reinforcement of the shelf; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view of the structure shown in Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrow.

The general formation of the outdoor fireplace shown in the drawings is as illustrated in my Patent No. 2,499,156, the structure embodying a sectional base, a first course of two blocks providing a draft opening at the front, and three superposed courses of two blocks each, providing a flue portion closed in on all sides but open at the top, the blocks of the structure preferably being free of connection with each other and being held in position by their own weight. Also, as described in the patent, a screen member is employed, the same being located adjacent the top of the third course or pair of blocks.

In the drawings, the sectional base is indicated at 10 and the superposed courses of blocks at 11, 12, 13 and 14, respectively. Each course consists of two blocks, each having the angular formation illustrated in Patent No. 2,499,156, and the blocks of all of the courses being placed in position preferably without the use of mortar.

In the present structure, there are interposed between the topmost course 14 and the next lower course 13 two rod members 15 that are spaced apart and parallel to each other and extend transversely with respect to the fireplace so as to be at right angles to the longitudinal median line of the chimney or fiue. Moreover, these rods 15 are of substantially greater length than the width of the flue or chimney structure so as to project from this structure to a considerable extent, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Moreover, it is to be noted that while in this particular structure the rods 15 are spaced from each other to such an extent that some space is left between each rod and the adjacent end wall of the flue or passage (Fig. 3), these rods are sufiiciently spaced from each other so that at each side of the structure one of the rods is supported upon the short side portion or terminal flange of an underlying block, while the other rod is supported on the long side portion or terminal flange of the other block.

These rods are assembled in the structure by laying them in transverse grooves 15* in the upper edges of the blocks in the course 13, and the rods are held in position by laying upon them the blocks of the uppermost course 14. In the example shown the grooves 15 are of such depth that the upper blocks bear upon them to an extent to hold them seated.

These rods 15 serve as a support for a rectangular screen 16 which is made of suitable foraminous material and which fits fairly closely into the flue. The rods 15 also serve as an effective support for a shelf or service counter 17 which is a planar member having an aperture 18 which enables it to be fitted over the upper end of the fireplace in a position in which it is supported upon the projecting ends of the rods 15.

In the case illustrated, the shelf member 17 is substantially square, having an aperture 18 that is rectangular so that along the sides of the fireplace chimney or body the width of the shelf is greater than at the ends of the body. It is to be understood, however, that as far as the shape of the shelf is concerned, as well as in other features, there may be variation, the illustrated embodiment being by way of example only.

The shelf 17 is preferably made of reinforced concrete as this is a fireproof material. It has been found that a satisfactory shelf of this material can be provided having a thickness not greatly in excess of one inch so that the shelf will be comparatively light in weight and can be readily assembled in relation to the fireplace body and disassembled. In the example shown, the reinforcement of the concrete slab 17 is provided by placing in the slab around the aperture therein reinforcing members of steel wire which, in the completed article, lie approximately midway of the distance between the upper and lower faces of the slab, as appears from Fig. 6. Referring to Fig. 5, where it appears that the side portions of the slab are wider than the end portions, it will be noted that the reinforcements 19 in the side portions are wider than the reinforcements 20 in the end portions. As will be observed from Fig. 7, each of the reinforcements 19 and 20 is preferably in the form of an elongated skeleton member having parallel side wires and interposed zig-zag wires welded to the side wires, and it is preferred, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, to have each end portion of a reinforcement in lapped relationship to the end portions of the adjacent reinforcements. By proceeding in this manner, the corners of the slab are given extra reinforcement and the slab, as a whole, has the requisite strength while at the same time the process of manufacture is simplified.

For use as a grilling surface, it is preferred to place a foraminous grill member 21 over the: upper end of the fireplace body. This grill member is preferably of substantially the same length and width as the uppermost pair of blocks. The grill member is preferably made of relatively heavy metal. so that it will remain in place by its own weight and so that it will be sufiiciently durable.

It is believed that from the preceding description, the method of assembling the structure and of disassembling it will be sufiiciently clear. The rods 15, it will be noted, are effectively held in place by the weight of the blocks placed over them and by the weight of the shelf. They serve to support the screen or grate 16, which remains in position after being placed upon the rods without being displaced in the ordinary use of the fireplace. The rods, furthermore, serve to give effective support for the shelf or service counter. Downward displacement of the shelf is elfectively prevented by rod portions of substantial length effectively anchored and placed directly under the shelf and extending through substantial parts of the width of the shelf portions of the sides of the fireplace body.

The assembly of fireplace parts shown in Fig. 1 can be erected in a very short time by an unskilled person without the use of tools and without the use of mortar, cement or the like. This assembly provides for the grilling of various articles such as hot dogs, hamburgers and steaks over a bed of suitable fuel such as charcoal, which is supported in the fire box on the screen or grate 16 at the correct distance from the food-sup porting grill element. The shelf or service counter greatly adds to the utility of the article as it provides a place of relatively large capacity for the support of various articles of food, cooked or uncooked, in

convenient proximity to the region where cooking operations are proceeding. The shelf is in a very convenient location, moreover, because it is disposed somewhat below the grilling surface so as not to interfere with the cooking operations, While, on the other hand, providing for the disposition of numerous food articles to be served and eaten or to be cooked. Another feature of advantage arises from the fact that the shelf as well as the grilling surface is readily accessible from all sides of the fireplace. The person cooking the food can, for example, assume a station at any side and can use the corresponding shelf portion for his operations in preparing the food, leaving the remainder of the shelf to be used as a service counter, this counter having portions that provide for the support and removal of food articles in a number of locations around the fireplace.

The article described also has the advantage that it can be used as a trash burner as well as a food grill. To use the article as a trash burner, the grilling surface is removed and then the fire-box screen or grate 16 is lifted out. The trash or rubbish to be burned is then placed in the bottom of the fireplace where it is immediately adjacent the lower draft opening, and the screen 16 replaced. The trash can then be ignited and the screen 16 will catch the sparks that would otherwise fly out of the upper end of the fireplace. The body of the fireplace is, of course, of

very durable material and this also applies to the service shelf or counter. This shelf can easily be made with a top surface which is quite smooth so as to be suitable for the placement of food dishes and utensils. When it becomes soiled it can be very easily cleaned.

it will be understood from the foregoing that the foodsupporting shelf is of especially strong and rigid character so that it can safely support articles of very considerable weight and it will be understood that the metal rods or like members, strongly anchored in the masonry, will support the shelf effectively, even when the shelf is heavily loaded.

While it is preferred to make the grill member 21 of foraminous material, this member can, if desired, be made of other material and it may, if desired, be supported upon the upper portion of the body member in a manner different from that shown in the drawings.

The described construction is by way of example only, and it is to be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the principles ofthe invention or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. in an outdoor grill, the combination of a rectangular body having a lower draft opening and presenting a fine open at the top, said body being made up by superposed layers of blocks placed in position without the use of mortar or cement, a screen in the flue adja cent the joint between the uppermost layer of blocks and the next layer for providing a fuel chamber, a grill-' ing member placed over the top opening, an apertured food shelf placed about the body at about the level of said joint, and supporting rods for said shelf extending under the shelf and between the uppermost layer and the next layer and across the flue, the portions of said rods within the flue. serving as supports for said screen.

2. In an outdoor grill structure, a rectangular body comprising superposed layers of blocks presenting an upright flue leading from a lower draft opening slightly above ground level at one of the sides to an open top, said body having an upper fuel chamber and, interposed between the topmost layer of blocks and the next layer, rods crossing the body in a transverse direction and provided with end portions which are extended to a substantial distance beyond the sides of the body, a grilling member placed over the upper end of the flue, and a surrounding food-supporting shelf supported from the body exteriorly of the latter by the extended'end portions of said rods, said shelf being constituted by a rectangular apertured slab and the rod ends being'ex tended into close proximity to opposite outer edges of the slab.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 131,939 Robinson Apr. 7, 1942 1,298,762 Milligan Apr. 1, 1919 1,575,024 Weber Mar. 2, 1926 1,824,682 ONeil Sept. 22, 1931 2,033,898 Krebs Marfl0fl936. 2,094,915 Dawson Oct.-5, 1937 2,349,617 Gorman May 23, 1944 2,499,156 Peolella Feb. 28, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 75,007 Switzerland Sept. 1,1917 

